Love in unexpected places
by myrninxmorganvillevampiresx
Summary: Who knew love could come from such unexpected places? Levi X Erwin one-shot. Pls Review, it really helps me know if this is any good!


Stranded in a forest consisting of trees at least 100m tall, the scout legion soldiers huddled around campfires, eating stale bread to the background of the cries and groans of the wounded. They were only two days out, and yet the number of wounded – and dead – was rising rapidly. Morale wasn't great, to say the least. Armin sat with his comrades; Jean, Reiner, Sasha, Connie, Mikasa and Eren. Talk was limited to wondering when they were going to head out, and the worry about rain coming. Rain made the already near-impossible job of the scouts that much harder. It obscured visibility, making it harder for the flares to be seen and fired, and caused surfaces to become so slippery it was a 50/50 that the 3D gear would catch and hold. The air around the camp was stifling, and depressed and aching, the soldiers were not looking forward to setting off again. Having just endured yet another titan attack not an hour ago, resulting in the deaths of two and wounding three others, the captains were not eager to set off either. "Has anyone seen Captain Levi?" Armin overheard a soldier ask from where he was tending to his horse. "No, come to think of it, I haven't seen Commander Erwin either". The soldiers grunted and carried on with their work, but Armin stood, causing Mikasa and Eren to look at him questioningly. "I'm just going to go and ask Captain Levi something" he assured them. "I'll come" offered Eren, half rising. "No, I'll go by myself, don't worry" Armin replied, already backing away. While not lying, his greatest motivation of seeking out Captain Levi was just to be able to do something. He had been sitting at that campfire, listening to the cries of the men around him, for far too long. After the attack, the soldiers had milled about, reluctant to leave the sanctuary of the forest, until Commader Erwin had ordered them to set up camp and rest for a few hours. He wasn't lying when he said he was relieved to hear it. They had been through so much already - in the space of two days their formation had completely fallen apart, with barely any soldiers left to keep it going, and lost almost as many horses, causing problems with cargo, having to sacrifice some supplies in order to keep the soldiers with them. As he walked through camp, he tried not to focus on the suffering and pain around him, but it was near impossible. Sobs rang through the air, men grieving for their comrades and friends, startlingly loud in the otherwise silent forest. There were the occasional snorts from the remaining horses, which pawed at the ground restlessly, tossing their heads every so often. Armin sympathised with them. Even though they were bred to have calm temperaments, going up against titans still spooked them, and being trained to one soldier at a time was heart-breaking for them when their owner was brutally killed in front of them. He spotted Christa over by the horses, gently inspected any wounds, and saw Squad Leader Hange over with some of her team, but did not spot Captain Levi or Commander Erwin. He was about to go and ask Captain Hange but then spotted the black freckled coat of Captain Levi's horse, safely tied to a tree. As he approached it, he saw that the white mare that belonged to Commander Erwin was there as well. He walked around to the other side of the tree, but did not see either men. Frowning, he surveyed the surrounding area. He was fairly far away from the main camp, but couldn't hear any voices that sounded like the Captains or the Commanders. He walked around for a time, listening closely, but was not any closer to finding them. It was peaceful, somehow, being further away from camp, without all the noise and atmosphere. He spotted a large blackbird perched on a moss covered log. It was digging into a hole, presumably after the grubs inside. Hungry though he was, Armin's stomach turned at the thought of eating insects. He had always been quite squeamish around them, not like Eren, who he remembered running up to him as a child and opening his hand to show some beetle or other he'd managed to capture. Armin had backed away so quickly he'd overbalanced and fallen over, right into the river. They'd all laughed about it afterwards, and he'd made Eren promise to never come near him with a bug again. Present-day Armin smiled at the fond memory, wishing they could be like how they had been back then, before Shigashima had fallen. Of course, that was impossible. With a sigh, Armin turned to go back to camp, following the flight of the blackbird as it flew up into the canopy, laying eyes on something he had not noticed before. It was a hole in the bark of near tree, quite high up, but just the right size for a grappling hook. Quickly scanning the other trees, he noticed similar marks. Ah. Armin frowned, upset at not thinking of that. What else was 3D gear perfect for? Climbing trees. Using his own gear, he propelled himself up onto the lowest branch, grabbing onto the bark for support. Suddenly he could hear voices. Craning his head up, he saw two figures standing on a tree branch not too far away. He could tell by the height difference it was Captain Levi and Commander Erwin. He was about to go and see them, when the words they were speaking reached him. "… could have lost you!" This was distinctly Captain Erwin's voice, but not like Armin had ever heard it. He sounded upset – something he made sure never to show around his soldiers. Frozen on the branch, Armin watched the scene unfold. "Don't be stupid, Erwin" Levi replied, leaning back against the tree trunk, arms crossed and one foot behind the other. "It was one titan. I could've killed it in my sleep, if all those idiots down there hadn't felt the need to step in". "Some of those idiots _died_ , Levi. It almost had _you_ " Levi made a tch sound, but before he could protest, Erwin overrode him, speaking with an urgency Erwin had not heard from the Captain before. "Don't give me any of your crap about how if you'd been left alone, you would have been fine. I know you hurt your ankle before, battling the 15-foot this morning. You can't afford to try and kill every single damn titan when you're injured!" Armin blinked. The way that these two were speaking to each other just showed how close they were, not as comrades, but as friends. He had almost forgotten that Erwin had recruited Levi when he was a younger, so it was obvious they would worry about each other. It was strange to hear Captain Erwin talk so unreservedly, without regard to appearances. "I know" Levi replied quietly. Armin had expected him to get angry and storm off, for some reason. It just seemed in the Captains character to do that, somehow. "Believe me, I am just as angry about those men dying as you. Some of them were my men. Now I have to go back and explain to their families they'll never see their sons, their husbands, their fathers, again. But Erwin – " "No" As Captain Levi's voice rose, the commander cut across him again. "Levi – Levi, I could have lost you." The commander sounded shaken, as if he was trying not to let the depth of his worry show, and failing. "Do you know what that would have done to your men – to _me_?". By now, Armin was quickly catching up, although his brain didn't seem to want to process this new information. Commander Erwin and - ? No, not possible. Captain Levi was always so aloof, so cool and in command, whereas Commander Erwin was constantly talking to his men, laughing with them, grieving with them. Armin just couldn't picture it. They were polar opposites – or were they? Now Armin thought about it, realised the Commander and Captain Levi were often in each other's company. Captain Levi definitely spent more time with Commander Erwin than any other Captain. He was unable to tear his eyes away, beyond shocked at what he was witnessing in this private moment between the two men. "Hey" Captain Levi said gently, standing straight and reaching his hand out, as if to comfort the Commander. Armin was shocked at this new side to Captain Levi. He had never imagined it possible for the Captain to have this other side to him, and gasped at what happened next. Commander Erwin suddenly stepped forward and crushed Captain Levi to him in a hug. With eyes as wide as saucers, Armin watched to see what the Captain would do. He didn't say anything at first, and looked too rigid to be comfortable at this physical contact. Commander Erwin slowly sank to his knees, and Armin could see his shoulders shaking. Eventually, Captain Levis arms came around the Commander, and bent his head to rest it on Commander Erwins. "It's okay" he said. "I won't do it again". Somehow he managed to make it sound both comforting, guilty, and exasperated all at the same time. They stayed like that for a long time, with Levi murmuring things Armin was too far away to hear, and Armin decided to take his leave. Using his 3D gear, he propelled himself through the canopy, his mind reeling, as he tried to keep his face blank to enter the camp again. Reaching it, he landed on the ground with a soft thump, and walked slowly back to his friends. The crushing atmosphere was still there, but its effect seemed to have lessened with the new information Armin possessed. As he sat down in between his best friends, he stared into the fire, not really seeing it. "Oi, Armin, did you find the Captain?" Jean asked from the other side. The silence, while only a few seconds, not noticeable in the slightest, seemed to stretch on for hours. Armin looked up at him, his head at war with two possible explanations. He took a breath and replied.

"No such luck".


End file.
